PORTLAND, Ore. — A key component of the Oregon Food Bank’s ability to serve more than a million meals to families annually is the help of local farmers.
The food bank partners with local farmers, to provide organic food to families in need.
“It’s really making community connections,” Morgan Dewey, a spokesperson for the Oregon Food Bank said.
One farmer, Muhammad Ali Juhar Ghoni Ahmad, produces hundreds of thousands of pounds of produce annually.
“Every single year, you know I grow jalapenos,” Ghoni Ahmad said. “Like 20,000 pounds.”
He also grows radishes, cucumbers, cilantro and a vast variety of other produce.
In late February, he dropped some fresh produce off at Kelly Elementary School to be received by Southeast Portland families. Kelly Elementary is the home to Oregon’s oldest school food bank, run by the Latino Network.
By partnering with local farmers from different backgrounds, Dewey said the food bank is able to provide nutritious meals for people of all cultures.
“They are the experts in culturally relevant foods for their own communities,” Dewey said.
In 2023, the food bank partnered with 136 local farmers of color.
“Just last year actually we invested $1.8 million in local farmers, growers, ranchers,” Dewey said.
Dewey said minority groups are disproportionately affected by food insecurity and are two to three times more likely to face hunger in our area.
Ghoni Ahmad, and other farmers, are hoping to change that. Along, with working with the Oregon Food Bank, Ghoni Ahmad also donates to nearby community members, he said. All in a hope of stopping hunger statewide.